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Lighting is responsible for nearly 20% of the world's total electricity consumption and almost 6% of worldwide CO2 emissions. Simply shifting to efficient lighting would cut the electricity used for lighting globally by half.

A total of 5 percent of global electricity consumption could be saved every year through a transition to efficient lighting, resulting in annual worldwide savings of over $110 billion.

This  is among the main findings of 150 national assessments and a new global policy map on efficient lighting, released on June 21, 2012 by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and partners.

In some cases, the assessments show that the financial savings and climate change mitigation benefits achieved by phasing out incandescent lighting in developing and middle-income countries are much more significant than previous studies suggested.

The yearly savings in electricity of the phase-out would be equivalent to closing over 250 large coal-fired power plants, resulting in avoided investment costs of approximately $210 billion. Additionally, the 490 megatons (Mt) of CO₂ savings per year is equivalent to the emissions of more than 122 million mid-size cars.

A group of 14 pilot countries will seek to benefit from such opportunities as part of a Global Efficient Lighting Partnerships Programme, coordinated by UNEP and partners, that will get underway next month.

Inefficient incandescent lamps are being replaced by energy saving CFLs around the world.: Photograph courtesy of The 4th MediaCountries will receive support to develop national phase-out plans for inefficient lamps from experts provided by the en.lighten initiative: a public-private partnership led by UNEP and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) in collaboration with Philips Lighting, Osram AG, and the National Lighting Test Centre of China (NLTC).

Global Policy Map: New Policy Status Map and National Assessments Highlight Huge Savings Potential

A new global policy map launched on June 21, 1012 – also produced by the en.lighten initiative - shows in detail the status of efficient lighting policies in countries around the world.

The first resource of its kind in the lighting industry, the online map provides an overview of efficient lighting policies and successes, specifically in the residential sector. The information for each country covers standards, labels, supporting policies, product quality control activities and end-of-life policies, as well as a national ranking in terms of policy development.

Ratings will be regularly updated according to a country’s progress in achieving a sustainable transition to efficient lighting.

Communication and awareness campaigns are an important part of a national phase-out strategy.: Photograph courtesy of the Asian Development Bank“One of the most cost-effective ways to contribute to the reduction of global carbon emissions is the phase-out of inefficient lighting technologies,” said Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director.

“Increasing numbers of countries are now achieving major financial savings, generating green jobs, and seeing reductions in mercury, sulphur dioxide and other pollutants from power stations, through a switch to efficient lighting…these new findings from the en.lighten initiative demonstrate that ambitious policies and partnerships must be seized if the social, economic and environmental benefits of a transition to a low-carbon, resource efficient green economy are to be realized.”

“The en.lighten initiative is a showcase for the benefits of public private partnership,” said Monique Barbut, CEO and Chairperson of the Global Environment Facility.

“Working together, we are accelerating the understanding of technology options, establishing quality and certification protocols, and promoting sound policies for countries to achieve their climate mitigation goals. We need more private sector leaders to follow the example of Philips and Osram and join the GEF in advancing technologies to protect the environment and foster sustainable development.”

Country Lighting Assessments

The assessments released at Rio+20 analyze the benefits of shifting from inefficient light bulbs for consumers, the industrial, commercial and street lighting sectors. Products cover a wide range of technologies including innovative light emitting diodes (LEDs).

The assessments were produced in conjunction with the International Energy Agency (IEA) and cover 150 countries including Russia, India, China and Brazil.

LEDs do not contain mercury and have other advantages such as long life and low heat generation.: A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor light source. LEDs are used as indicator lamps in many devices and are increasingly used for other lighting. Introduced as a practical electronic component in 1962, early LEDs emitted low-intensity red light, but modern versions are available across the visible, ultraviolet, and infrared wavelengths, with very high brightness. Text and image courtesy of Wikipedia“The cleanest, most secure type of energy is the one that is not needed, which is why the IEA attaches so much importance to energy efficiency in our 28 member countries and beyond,” said Maria Van der Hoeven, IEA Executive Director.

“Lighting has a key role to play in improving energy efficiency, and continuing efforts to phase-out inefficient lighting products at a global level will enhance energy security and reduce global energy demand.”

The new assessments show that a country such as India could cut its lighting electricity consumption by over 35 percent, which is equivalent to avoiding the construction of 11 large coal-fired power plants and taking over 10 million cars off the road. Annual savings would be over $2 billion.

The Rio+20 host country Brazil could save over $3 billion annually and reduce over 5 percent of national electricity consumption through a transition to energy-efficient lighting.

Due to the technological shift towards innovative LED technology, there is a great opportunity for countries to leapfrog to this advanced lighting solution in national markets.

Although LED lamps are currently expensive to buy for individual consumers, bulk procurement by governments, tax incentives and subsidies are making them a viable alternative.  LEDs do not contain any mercury and last up to 10 times longer than their CFL counterparts.

"Lighting accounts for around 20 percent of global electricity consumption. Therefore, energy efficient products are key to a sustainable and green future. Green is lean", said Constantin Birnstiel, Chief Sustainability Officer, Osram AG. “As a long-term partner of the UN’s en.lighten initiative, Osram strongly supports the combat against climate change with energy-efficient lighting around the globe. Private partners can accelerate the success of global initiatives with their experiences and resources in individual countries.”

“Already many emerging and developing countries have committed to phase out inefficient lighting, thereby helping to create the first global industry sector transition to low-carbon innovative and sustainable solutions,” said Harry Verhaar, Head of Global Public & Government Affairs, Philips Lighting.

“As a public-private partnership, the en.lighten initiative is putting the green economy and global environmental governance into practice, which helps to drive sustainable global development and enhances people’s lives with light,” he added.

Global Efficient Lighting Partnership Programme

To date, almost 50 developing and emerging countries supported by en.lighten have committed to phasing out incandescent lamps by 2016.

Work also begins next month in 14 new pilot countries to develop national plans towards phasing out incandescent lighting, as part of the UNEP en.lighten Global Efficient Lighting Partnerships Programme. The first national workshops will be held in July in Uruguay and Chile, followed by Belize, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Morocco, Jordan, Philippines and Tunisia.

The Government of Mexico will be a key ally for the Central and South American pilot countries, as the first country in the developing world to enact climate change legislation, including the phasing out of inefficient lighting.

“We took a leadership role and began our phase-out initiative earlier this year and it has been met with excellent results,” said Juan Rafael Elvira Quesada, Minister of the Environment and Natural Resources. “We are encouraged in moving forward based on the new lighting assessments which show that Mexico could save almost $1 billion in less than six months by extending the call for efficient lighting to other sectors.”

2012 marks the United Nations International Year of Sustainable Energy for All, which aims to double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency by 2030.

For the lighting sector, this goal can be reached in just four years, if the target to phase out inefficient incandescent lamps worldwide by 2016 is met.

Key Facts

* Electricity for lighting accounts for almost 20 percent of electricity consumption and 6 percent of CO₂ emissions worldwide.

* According to the IEA, approximately 3 percent of global oil demand can be attributed to lighting.

* The global demand for artificial light will be 60 percent higher by 2030 if no switch to efficient lighting occurs.

* Incandescent lamps have already been phased-out, or are scheduled to be phased-out in most Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, Argentina, Brazil, China, Colombia, Mexico, Vietnam and other developing countries.

* If Brazil extends current legislation to include commercial, industrial and street lighting applications, the country could save close to $4 billion and reduce carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to 400,000 cars being removed from the road.

* The complete transition to efficient lighting in all sectors throughout Africa could reduce electrical demand enough to electrify over 14 million presently un-serviced households.

* Up to 95 percent of the energy emitted by incandescent lamps is heat, and their efficiency is low. In comparison, incandescent bulbs last around 1,000 hours which is significantly shorter than compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) which can last up to 12,000 hours.

* Like all fluorescent lamps, CFLs contain small amounts of mercury, which complicates their disposal. en.lighten supports countries in developing legislation and sustainable end-of-life programs.

* Some countries, such as Nigeria and China, are leapfrogging directly to LEDs from incandescent lamps. LEDs do not contain mercury and have other advantages such as long life and low heat generation.

Notes:

More information on the en.lighten initiative is available at www.enlighten-initiative.org

The Global Policy Map can be viewed at www.enlighten-initiative.org/portal/CountrySupport/GlobalPolicyMap/tabid/104292/Default.aspx

Country lighting assessments are available at www.enlighten-initiative.org/portal/Home/tabid/56373/Default.aspx

National Data on the Benefits of a Transition to Energy Efficient Lighting can be viewed at www.unep.org/PDF/PressReleases/Table_Energy_Efficient_Lighting_Transition.pdf

New countries to join the en.lighten Global Efficient Lighting Partnership Programme include: Algeria, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Chile, Costa Rica, Cote d’Ivoire, Dominican Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea- Bissau, Honduras, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Liberia, Mali, Morocco, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Palestine, Panama, Paraguay, Philippines, Russian Federation, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay and Yemen.

This news is from a UNEP-GEF news release of 21 June 2012

About en.lighten:

Electricity for lighting is responsible for nearly 20% of total end use electrical consumption and almost 6% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This equals to the combined emissions from Germany and Japan. Shifting to efficient lighting technologies would cut the world share of electricity used for lighting by about 50% which would save enough electricity to close more than 400 coal-fired power plants worldwide. In addition, it could save countries and users a considerable amount of money in avoided electricity bills, making available these resources for other human needs. Few actions can cut carbon emissions more easily than the phase-out of inefficient lighting, making it one of the most effective and economically advantageous means to combat climate change.

Activities aimed at phasing out inefficient technologies have been increasingly introduced in recent years, yet market forces on their own have proven insufficient to achieve rapid lighting market transformation, especially in view of the urgent need to reduce emissions posed by climate change. There is a need to coordinate global efforts and provide technical support to assist countries in introducing efficient lighting transformation programs.

The en.lighten initiative addresses the challenge of accelerating global market transformation to environmentally sustainable lighting technologies by developing a coordinated global strategy and providing technical support for the phase-out of inefficient lighting. This will reduce global GHGs from the lighting sector and mercury released from coal combustion. The en.lighten initiative was created in 2009 as a partnership between the UNEP, OSRAM AG and Philips Lighting with the support of the GEF. The NLTC became a partner in 2011.